Safety

Our No. 1 Core Value

Thinking, demanding and delivering safety in all aspects of business is our No. 1 core value.

Consistently safe jobsites are the result of training, on-going focus and accountability. There’s a mutual responsibility to keep ourselves and each other safe, and we stand behind our safety motto: “If it’s not safe, I won’t do it and I won’t let others do it.”

We adhere to the following Safety FIRST approach:

FOLLOW processes. Be disciplined to each process on every project.

INFORM employees. We do this through orientation, pre-task analysis and safety huddles. On one project where we logged more than 1.1 million work hours, we coordinated approximately 27,000 safety-related activities at the site.

REVIEW effectiveness. We track safety observations made by supervisors and construction personnel through our “Stop, Look & Listen” program. We also analyze and learn from injury trend reports.

SHARE lessons learned. Safety-related incidents are forwarded all the way up to the most senior-level executives in our organization.

TRAIN to be better and safer. Every Walbridge employee is required to complete 30 hours of training per year; 50 percent of that training is safety related.

We also require all employees and subcontractors to participate in the Management and Unions Serving Together (MUST) safety program, which mandates drug screening prior to setting foot on a job site or in the office.

We don’t allow employees or anyone at our construction sites to talk on a mobile phone or text – unless they’re standing in a designated safe zone.

Safety is addressed three times per day on site during safety huddles. Here, supervisors point out potential hazards and workers are encouraged to ask questions and raise safety related issues.

In 1999, Walbridge established a 100 percent compliance mandate for the use of fall protection for any work conducted at a height of six feet or higher. In 2000, Walbridge was the first construction company in Michigan to establish a certified crane operator requirement. The company is compliant with the federal OSHA 2010 crane standard.

Corporate Safety Goals:

Zero Injuries

Zero Incidents

Zero Tolerance for Unsafe Behavior

Walbridge Hours Worked Without a Lost-Time Injury:

12,425,791 (Oct. 16,2003 – Current)

Experience Modification Rate

2014 EMR .54

2013 EMR .55

2012 EMR .57

2011 EMR .60

2010 EMR .58

2009 EMR .57

2008 EMR .53

(Industry average EMR is 1.0)

A safety success story on one of our projects

Award-Winning Program

In 2010, we were the first Michigan company to receive the Michigan Voluntary Protection Program for Construction (MVPPC) Star Award from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA.) In September 2012, Walbridge received a Designated Geographical Area (DGA) STAR Award from MIOSHA that covers current and future company projects on the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus.

Walbridge has also been recognized for its safety performance by the Associated General Contractors of America in the Willis Outstanding Safety Award competition – First Place, 2009; Second Place, 2012; the Association of Union Constructors (Thomas J. Reynolds Award for safety and health), and multiple quarterly safety awards from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Safety Remains Top-of-Mind for a Reason

At Walbridge, safety always remains an unfinished process. We are vigilant about identifying preventable hazards and coming up with solutions, and we never stop improving upon our procedures. We have more than 50 full-time professionals dedicated to preventing job site incidents and promoting safety awareness.